Mary Ann (Kramer) Campbell

Mary Ann Campbell, 92, of Notre Dame, IN, passed away on Wednesday, July 9, 2025 at Holy Cross Village, Notre Dame, IN.

Mary Ann was born on December 23, 1932 to the late Paul and Helen (Anger) Kramer in Indianapolis, IN., where she lived for the first seventeen years of her life. Her brother, Philip, was born two years after her. In grade school, Mary Ann was like most children: sometimes her marks were satisfactory, sometimes they were good and sometimes even very good. She was learning at her own pace. Art was always her most challenging subject and her consistent Cs reflected that. As Mary Ann became an adolescent, she found a drive and determination that she became known for. At St. Agnes Academy, Mary Ann wrote for the student newspaper, was active in drama groups, served as a class officer, was inducted into the National Honor Society, won a Westinghouse Foundation science talent search, and graduated as valedictorian in 1950. Whew!

Still 17, Mary Ann left home and headed to Saint Mary’s College at Notre Dame, IN. Mary Ann flourished at Saint Mary’s. She won an award and prize money for excellence in journalism in her freshman year, was elected student council representative her sophomore year, served as the chair of the variety show her junior year, and was proudly elected student council president her senior year. During the second semester of her senior year, Mary Ann was living in the coveted Riedinger House on campus. Riedinger was not a dorm but rather a ⅞ scale “practice” home for four senior Home Economics majors. One Saturday morning, a Notre Dame senior knocked on the door. Mary Ann answered and Tom Campbell walked into her life, asking if anyone there knew how to cook the dozen eggs he carried in his hands. Mary Ann (and Tom) graduated in June of 1954, the first in her family to earn a college degree. She and Tom continued their romance and were married in April of 1957. They were married for almost 63 years until Tom’s death in April 2020.

Mary Ann‘s life changed as she married Tom Campbell. While Tom began his career with IBM, Mary Ann began hers as both Chief Operating and Chief Financial Officer of Campbell Family Productions. Mary Ann and Tom raised six children: Kathleen, Maureen, Mary, Patrick, Annie, and Thomas. While the years spent raising them were never easy, and Mary Ann was often the sole parent at home while Tom traveled the country with IBM, Mary Ann could proudly claim that her children were honest, hardworking, independent, loyal, faithful, kind, and good people, most especially the author of this obituary.

Mary Ann’s own interests were varied. She enjoyed sewing and playing the piano in her younger years. She liked to read, to travel, to knit, to learn about healthy living and healthy eating. She was a very active member of the PAX intentional Catholic community in McLean, VA from 1969-1992. She described herself as a “church community builder.” When she and Tom moved to Holy Cross Village in 2010, they became active members of the Church of Our Lady of Loretto at Saint Mary’s, doing that same sacred and communal work that nourished them and enlarged their hearts and minds. Mary Ann continued her love of learning at Holy Cross Village. She audited classes at Saint Mary’s, went to lectures on diverse topics, and heard speakers from a variety of viewpoints. There was always more to learn.

Mary Ann was a lifelong proud and active alumna of Saint Mary’s. She was delighted that her two oldest daughters, Kathleen ‘80 and Maureen ‘81, also found Saint Mary’s to be a place for personal growth, intellectual stimulation, and enduring friendships. Mary Ann served in her local SMC Washington, DC Alumnae chapter as well as the SMC Alumnae Association Board of Directors from 1975-1979. She was equally giving to the local Notre Dame Club chapter when she and Tom lived in McLean, VA. So much so that Mary Ann was the first non-alum to receive the ND Alumni Club of Washington, DC’s highest award for service to the club.

Mary Ann was a welcoming friend in her neighborhood, her church, through Newcomers and Postcomers, her years at Saint Mary’s, and her time at Holy Cross Village. Not only did she welcome you to Holy Cross Village, she served as an unofficial ND football ticket dealer. If you wanted a ticket to a ND game, you could phone a friend, contact the ticket office, or, for best results, call Mary Ann. She had a penchant for contests. When she only had three young children, she was a contestant on a televised game show. She won big - either a washer or a car or a boat. Family memories haven’t decided on which yet. She entered radio contests and won a Beta taping system but promptly sold it. On another occasion, she got Marvin Hamlisch to write a short song about her first grandson.

She had her faults and failures like all of us. At 13, she did not win the Indianapolis Spelling Bee. She was ticketed for speeding and improper registration plates at 20. She set off the building alarm while at Saint Mary’s when she ordered a pizza for delivery at 10:30pm. She sometimes made her kids wait an hour for a pick up after their soccer practice ended. She left one son behind, locked out of the house in the front yard, one Sunday as the family hurriedly drove off to church. She embarrassed her teenagers without even trying. But she stood up for herself and her kids more than we will ever know.

Along with her parents, she was preceded in death by her brother, Phil; her husband, Thomas J. Campbell; and a forever grieved great grandson, Miles Bear Lopina.

Mary Ann is survived by her six children: Kathleen Campbell Lorenz (Ray) of Drummond, WI; Maureen Campbell Lopina (Brian) of Arvada, CO; Mary Campbell Hergenhan (Al)  of Baltimore, MD; Patrick Campbell (Arlene) of Charlottesville, VA; Annie Campbell of Nashville, TN; and Thomas Campbell of Lansing, WV; Eleven grandchildren: Kate, Andrew, Rebecca, Joe; Jillian, Chris, Scott; Peter, Kathleen; Shane and Luke; five great grandchildren: Hayden, Ben, Rozalyn, Darcy, and Jackson along with greatly anticipated twin great grandchildren due in August of 2025; and many nieces & nephews.

Cremation has taken place, and Mary Ann will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA next to her husband, Tom.  A Celebration of Life will take place at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family would be honored by memorial gifts to:

Thomas J. and Mary Ann Kramer Campbell 1954 Endowed Scholarship #600544 at St. Mary’s College. Checks may be mailed to Development Office, St. Mary’s College, 110 LeMans Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556 or online at www.saintmarys.edu/about/invest-in-saint-marys  Memo section will be present for online giving where you can designate the above listed endowment; Or to the PAX Community, ℅ Judy Schaeffer, 5911 Grayson Street, Springfield, VA 22150-3715 or online at www.paxcommunity.org (click “donate” in the top purple banner)

Kaniewski Funeral Home, South Bend, IN, is handling arrangements. To send online condolences, please visit www.kaniewski.com.

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